Looking for some great kids’ books about food? There’s nothing like a good book about food to inspire your kid to eat a healthy meal.
Where else to start besides Maurice Sendak’s 1962 classic “Chicken Soup with Rice“? It will transport you back to a simpler time when chicken soup was always best when served once…and then twice. (Whether it’s June or December, it’s always a good time for chicken soup with rice.) Ahh…So sweet. We’ve got lots more ideas below.
Young Kids’ Books About Food
These kids’ books about food are great for even your littlest page-turners:
Pancakes for Breakfast (Tomie de Paola): This little book is fun for even the tiniest kids because it has no words, only descriptive pictures, and at some point you can have your kids “read” it back to you. Pancake recipe included. Ages 2 to 8.
Dog Food (Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers): The team that brought you “How Are You Peeling?” now offers this incredibly cute book with dogs made from all manners of fruits and vegetables. Can you name all of the fruits and vegetables that are used to make the pups? Ages 2 to 10.
Pie in the Sky (Lois Ehlert): Even if you weren’t reading this book for the words, you still wouldn’t be able to put it down because the illustrations are so darned cool. It’s a tree-to-table story about making a cherry pie, complete with recipe. Your kids will be inspired to go and make their own. Ages 2 to 9.
Crazy Food Adventures
These kids’ books about food take dinner in a wacky direction:
The Runaway Dinner (Allan Ahlberg): Help! The sausage is running away! And there goes the fork and knife…and the peas too! A quick read, sure to provide some giggles before or after dinner. Ages 3 to 9.
Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears (Cynthia Rylant): One of many in this beloved series, this one is fun just because of the image of Mr. Putter shooting all of his pears with a slingshot – zing! – over into the neighbor’s yard. And of course she makes all sorts of delectable treats out of them. (Don’t miss Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, Stir the Soup, and more.) Ages 3 to 9.
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy (Oliver Jeffers): Henry doesn’t just like to read books; he likes to eat them. A good read with great illustrations – and (spoiler alert) it ends with a whole bunch of broccoli being consumed. Extra bonus: The hard-cover version comes with a big bite out of the back. Ages 4 to 10.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Judi Barrett): Even if you have seen the movie, you should give this book a shot. If food dropped like rain from the sky, wouldn’t it be amazing? Err… well, maybe or maybe not. Ages 4 to 12.
Learning About Food
The Popcorn Book (Tomie de Paola): Another Tomie de Paola food book fave. This book tells a little story while walking you through the history of popcorn and taking you step-by-step through a popcorn recipe. Your kids will never want to eat microwave popcorn again (well, at least sometimes they won’t). Ages 5 to 10.
Too Many Tamales (Gary Soto): It’s Christmas Eve, and a treasured diamond ring is lost… in a pile of tamales? Maria and her cousins try to eat their way out of trouble in this fun adventure. Ages 7 to 12.
Pie (Sarah Weeks): When Alice’s Aunt Polly passes away, she takes her coveted pie crust recipe with her. Or does she? Alice and her friend Charlie have to scramble to find the clues to the recipe before the pie contest. Bonus: It includes pie recipes! Ages 8 to 12.
Hungry for more book recommendations? Check our list of books for picky eaters.
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Hi! I'm Jeanne Fratello - a writer, reporter, and food enthusiast who is on a mission to write great stories about food and where your food comes from.
I LOVE, LOVE the Pancakes for Breakfast book. LOVE!
I’m so glad you know it! It’s been one of our favorites for a long, long time. It’s being held together by Scotch tape at this point! ; )
Thanks, Meredith! We LOVE the popcorn book, but it’s a little dangerous in that every time we read it, it’s impossible to resist making popcorn afterwards. ; )
Brings back beautiful memories! Chicken Soup with Rice and Pancakes for Breakfast were much-loved in our house 🙂 and a favorite chicken soup with rice that my daughter still loves.